Convicted sex offender mayor blasted in viral WhatsApp anthem

A song blasting convicted child rapist and Kannaland mayor Jeffrey Donson for “f—ing up” the municipality has gone viral on WhatsApp, with locals forwarding it far and wide.

Donson said the song was “ridiculous” and “probably an election stunt”.

Donson, who makes his own music under the alias DJ Fantastic, was convicted in 2008 of statutory rape and indecent assault of a 15-year-old girl.

The conviction was upheld on appeal, though his sentence was later reduced.

Kannaland is a municipality in the Garden Route District of the Western Cape.It oversees the towns of Ladismith, Calitzdorp, Zoar, and Vanwyksdorp.

Local political movement Ahga-man’s Eugene Ludick claimed to have made the song.

The song starts with “Donson het Kannaland opgef*k”. This loosely translates to “Donson f—ed up Kannaland”.

The song, likely AI-generated and sung in Afrikaans, then continues: “Now people are again in the queue waiting for hope.

“The money disappeared… now we hear excuses every month.

“Another meeting, another speech, nothing that the poor people reach.”

It then cuts back to “Donson f—ed up Kannaland.”

A woman’s voice then sings: “How many children must still cry? How many young people must still wait?

“How many lies must still fall before the people fight back today?”

Then again: “Donson f—ed up Kannaland.”

Ludick said he created the song because Kannaland is in a state of disrepair.

“I wrote the song because people in Kannaland deserve answers, not excuses. The song is for every resident who’s tired of water not running, lights going off, and questions going unanswered,” he said.

Donson said he was not going to waste time speaking about a song when all he was doing was working for the people.

“I have been working for more than 30 years every single day for our people,” he said.

“I look after the community; I only leave home every day after 6pm.”

He said he loved his work and did not listen to the song.

“I love my work, and of course, there are going to be songs like this. It is nearing election time. I work for the people.”

Donson, leader of the political party Icosa, was mayor at the time of his 2008 conviction and was removed from office.

He returned as mayor in November 2021 after Icosa formed a coalition with the ANC.

In January 2022, the council passed a motion of no confidence and ousted him.

Ten months later, in October 2022, he returned to office after new coalition agreements.

Kannaland municipality has failed its annual audit for three years in a row.

The Auditor-General’s 2023/24 report gave the municipality a disclaimed opinion.

This means the office of the AG could not verify the accuracy of the financial statements.

The report also flagged material breaches of the law across procurement, revenue collection, planning, performance management, and HR.

Irregular spending and weak contract oversight were again fingered as ongoing problems.

The municipality’s finances are also under strain from unpaid electricity bills.

Eskom debt rose 41% to R80m in the year to March 2026.

Kannaland did not pay its full Eskom bill in 2024/25 and added R18m in new arrears that do not qualify for debt relief.

It is now one of only four Western Cape municipalities behind on Eskom payments, while the other 26 are up to date.

Because of the financial collapse, the Western Cape government stepped in.

In July 2025, it imposed a mandatory Financial Recovery Plan on Kannaland under Section 139(5) of the Constitution.

The plan was approved in August 2025 and now legally binds all council decisions as the municipality tries to get its budget back on track over the next five years.

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